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Author Notes: This is a comforting peach crumble with Southern flavors and lots of butter and brown sugar. It needs vanilla ice cream. - sarah buttenwieser

Food52 Review: I love a good crumble, but then again, who doesn't?! They're easier than pie to put together, but with all the payoff -- and more. This one combines all the classic elements of a good crumble, then takes it to the next level with some southern twists. The pecans add an extra crunch to the deliciously sweet topping. Plus, replacing sugar with maple syrup mixed with a splash of bourbon and nutty almond extract ensures that the peachy, bubbling deliciousness swathed by the golden topping is not too sweet. Don't forget the vanilla ice cream: it's a must! - TaraT

Serves 6 to 8

1 stick of cold butter, cut into pea-sized chunks

1 cup flour

1cup brown sugar

1teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2cup chopped pecans

6 to 8 sliced ripe peaches

1teaspoon almond extract

1tablespoon bourbon

1 lemon, juiced

1tablespoon maple syrup

1quart vanilla ice cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

With your hands mix the flour, cinnamon, sugar, butter, and pecans, until crumbly.

Mix all the other ingredients together, and pour into a baking dish.

Top the peach mixture with the topping and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

This was really good, but I think I'd make a couple of adjustments next time I make it. The almond flavour was quite pronounced - not in a bad way, but I'd probably halve the amount of almond extract to tone it down a bit. The peach part was fairly liquidy and absorbed into the filling a lot around the edges. I might mix a bit of flour into the peaches next time to thicken it up, like I do with berry crisp.

I made this to serve two days later and somehow the entire literally shrank unto itself with all the liquid oozing out and the crumble part all goopy. I cannot tell if it was the fact that I prepared it ahead of time or the fact that I covered it before it cooled down completely.

Absolutely luscious! I also added just a hint of cardamom (love it with peaches) and mixed half the topping into the peach mixture. The almond extract does work well with the other flavors, but I think I'll cut it back to half a teaspoon next time, and there *will* be a next time, I make this. Thank you.

I plan to make this, by the way, when we have friends over next week. Peaches, pecans, bourbon?!! My family (second and third generation Tarheels, with roots in five states south of the Maxon-Dixon line) will gobble this up with glee. ;o)

I don't know what kind of almond extract you use, but even a teaspoon of the Frontier Organic or Nielsen-Massey pure extracts would be overpowering here. I'd use a half, at most . . . and I love the stuff, but there's a fine line between the right amount and too much, especially of the pure organic products. ;o)